Date: 3/17/19
Lesson #26
Title: A Warning Against Those Who Serve Their Own Desires
• “Special Notes” and “Scripture” are shown as endnotes.
• NIV Bible is used throughout unless noted otherwise.
Scripture (Philippians 3:18-19, NIV)
18For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.
Introduction
In verses, 18 and19 Paul makes it clear that he is not simply talking about Christians who have the wrong beliefs, but those who are not actually Christians at all. Although the error of these false teachers is disguised as a form of religion, Paul with an aching heart and with tears repeats what he had told the Philippians before that such “are the enemies of the cross of Christ." His reference to his frequent warnings apparently goes beyond this epistle itself and may refer to his instructions to them when he had been with them previously.
Having referred to these people as “enemies of the cross of Christ,” the apostle announces a fourfold indictment: (1) he describes their end as being destruction, that is, eternal punishment; (2) their “god is their stomach,” a description that better suits the antinomian party than it does the legalizers, although the same description is given of people who sow dissension (Rom. 16:18); (3) their glory is their shame, that is, their shameless conduct is a matter of pride to them; (4) they “mind earthly things,” living only for the things of this life.
Commentary
(3:18) For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
There are certain church leaders in Philippi who follow Paul’s lead. The rest of the Christians in Philippi would also have profited by doing the same. For, unfortunately, many live, whom he has often mentioned, but now he does so with tears because now he marks them as “enemies of the cross of Christ.” Those are not men who rejected the doctrine of the atonement; they are lovers of self-indulgence, not of self-denial. Neither the Judaizers nor the “perfectionists” seem to be in Paul’s mind. Everything he says about these people points to their having been Christian people, possibly Gentiles, who turned their Christian liberty into unchristian recklessness; lack of self-control.
Who were these “enemies of the cross of Christ,” and in what sense were they “enemies of the cross of Christ?” (see Note 7) Some regard them as the Judaizers see note #1 of 3.2, whose emphasis on legalism see note #2 undermined the effect of the cross. And there were other things that made the Judaizers “enemies of the cross of Christ: (1) The cross ended the Old Testament religion; (2) When the veil of the temple was torn in two, God was announcing that the way to God was through Christ (Heb. 10:19-25); (3) When Jesus shouted, “it is finished!” He made one sacrifice for sins; (4) By His death and resurrection, Jesus accomplished a “spiritual circumcision” that made ritual circumcision unnecessary (Col. 2:10-13). Everything that the Judaizers advocated had been eliminated by the Death of Christ on the cross!
Furthermore, everything they lived for was condemned by the cross. Jesus had broken down the wall that stood between Jews and Gentiles (Eph. 2:14-16), and the Judaizers were rebuilding that wall. They were obeying carnal [fleshly] ordinances (Heb. 9:10), regulations that appealed to the flesh and were not directed by the Spirit. But the true believer crucifies the flesh (Gal. 5:24). He also crucifies the world (Gal. 6:14). Yet the Judaizers were minding “earthly things.” It is the cross that is central in the life of the believer. He does not glory in men, in religion, or in His own achievements; he glories in the cross (Gal. 6:14).
Others view them as antinomians, (see note #3) which went to the opposite extreme from the Judaizers, and thus ended the whole sacrificial system. By their lawless lives, they too were enemies of the cross and the new life that should issue from it.
It is not likely that these men were simply pagans, of whom nothing better was to be expected. In all probability, they were professing Christians, but ones whose lives were so reckless and shameless that it was clear to Paul that they had never been saved. Presumably, they were not actually members of the Philippian Church [The character of the entire Epistle would have been different if “many” such people were in that congregation], but because there were such men in the Christian world as a whole, they posed a danger to every church (Rom. 16:17, 18; 2 Pet. 2:10-22). Paul had already warned of them, perhaps in former visits or letters, and felt real anguish when the churches were threatened with preaching false doctrine or living false lives. Those Paul warned against were perhaps involved in budding Gnosticism and they trusted in their own attainments and not in the sufficiency of Christ alone. All who do so are not children of God, so they await destruction. The word here translated, “destruction” does not mean annihilation, but rather ruination by separation from the presence of God in eternal judgment.
“And now tell you again even with tears.” The stress that caused Paul’s grief would come from the fact, that they degraded the true doctrine of liberty in order to attend to their extravagant and worldly lifestyle. They made use of his name but did not follow his example. Paul weeps because he knows the future of these men: “whose end is destruction.”
Many live as "enemies of the cross of Christ.” These men are true “enemies of the cross of Christ,” for though they claim a saving interest in Christ crucified, their sinful lives are a flagrant denial of the faith they confess with their lips. “The true Christian is the man who is ‘crucified with Christ,’ who has ‘crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts.’” The cross is the central principle in his life. “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up His cross and follow me.” Those described here, by their unthinking self-indulgence, run directly in the teeth of this principle.”
(3:19) Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.
“Their destiny is destruction.” “Destruction” (see note 5) does not point to the extinction of existence but to that state of utter ruin and everlasting torment, which is the only appropriate “end” for the ungodly (2 Thess. 1:9; 2 Pet. 3:7, 16, 18).
The ultimate end for such persons [See 3:18] is “destruction” (the New Testament word for eternal loss, the opposite of salvation).
Their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame.
Some interpret this as referring to the Judaizers’ demands and relating it to various “kosher” food regulations. It is easier to explain it if they were sensualists (see note 4) who indulge various physical appetites without restraint (Rom. 16:18; 1 Cor. 6:18; Jude 11). Those “enemies of the cross of Christ,” Paul says, “have their stomach as their God”, meaning they thought only of their own physical desires and unrestrained gluttony (Rom. 16:18). In those days the stomach covered other vices besides gluttony, including sexual sins. “Their glory is in their shame” means that they boast of what is a disgrace to them?even the best of their accomplishments is no better than filthy rags or dung (7,8; Isa. 64:6); thus, their end is “destruction.”
“Their glory is in their shame.” By their indulgence, they actually took pleasure in what ought to have been shameful to them (Eph. 5:12). Although they “gloried” in their freedom to do as they pleased, they did not realize that such slavery to their lusts meant that they were glorying in their shame.” Those who relate the statement to Judaizers explain the “shame” as a euphemism for one's private parts, specifically the circumcision demanded by the Judaizers. It would be most unusual, however, for Paul to speak of circumcision as a “shame.” “Their glory is in their shame” means that instead of giving glory to God these teachers heaped praise on them. Ironically, they prided themselves on things they should have been ashamed of. “The final description characterizes the “enemies of the cross of Christ” as continually thinking about earthly things. All their attention is fixed on physical and material interests. They stand in sharp contrast to spiritual (see Note 6) men.
Finally, it has been suggested that possibly these men were under the influence of developing Gnosticism. Though, “men of the Spirit” they felt that they could indulge their bodily appetites without restraint (1 Cor. 6:13), and so surrendered themselves to gluttony and extravagance.
Their mind is set on earthly things. It is certainly not wrong for God’s people to care about their earthly affairs. But those Paul warned about here were depending on earthly things to gain merit with God. The apostle frequently alerted the people of God against such a lifestyle (Gal.4:3, 9-11; Col.2:21-22). Finally, Paul expresses his amazement at professed believers whose mental horizon was bounded by earthly things! In a parallel passage, the apostle shows us what these earthly things were on which these people set their minds, namely, immorality, indecency, lust, evil desire, greed, evil temper, furious rage, malice, cursing, filthy talk (Col. 3:2, 5, 8). Some professing Christians have an appetite for money. They will do almost anything for the almighty dollar. Others have such an appetite for sex that it actually becomes their god. Others covet?that is the cause of much of the strife and vainglory. The basic cause of it is that they have their hearts and minds on earthly things. They live for self, and self only, and they actually glory in this. They are proud of what they should be ashamed.
Scripture and Special Notes
[Note #1] Judaizers are Christians who teach it is necessary to adopt Jewish customs and practices, especially those found in the Law of Moses, to be saved. The Judaizers were “enemies of the cross of Christ” in that they added the Law of Moses to the work of redemption that Christ wrought on the cross. Their obedience to the Old Testament dietary laws would make a god out of the belly (Col. 2:20-23); and their emphasis on circumcision would amount to glorying in that about which they ought to have been ashamed (Gal.6:12-15).; they were earthly minded. These men were not spiritually minded; they were earthly minded. They were holding on to earthly rituals and beliefs that God had given to Israel, and they were opposing the heavenly blessings that the Christian has in Christ (Eph. 1:3; 2:6; Col. 3:1-3).
[Note #2] Legalism (theology), a sometimes derogatory term relating to a number of concepts in the Christian theological tradition
[Note #3] Antinomian is one who holds that under the gospel dispensation of grace the moral law is of no use or obligation because faith alone is necessary to salvation.
[Note #4] Sensualism is the persistent or excessive pursuit of sensual pleasures and interests.
[Note #5] The word translated “destruction” is the same New Testament word for eternal loss, the opposite of salvation.
[Note #6] The word “spiritual” has suffered as much abuse as the word “fellowship.” Too many people think that a spiritual Christian is mystical, dreamy, impractical, and distant. When he prays, he goes to great lengths to inform God of the things He already knows. Unfortunately, this sort of unctuous piety is a poor example of true spiritually. To be spiritually minded does not require one to be impractical and mystical. Quite the contrary, the spiritual mind makes the believer think more clearly, and get things done more effectively.
[Note #7] The Judaizers were the “enemies of the cross of Christ” in that the cross ended the Old Testament religion.
